Votre Honneur. ECOWAS crisis – SPORTS to the rescue.. I extend my greetings to you, sir, on behalf of all Nigerians.. In 2002, I served as a representative of former President Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR. I led a delegation that delivered letters to four Presidents on the West Coast of Africa. In each capital city, my team and I were warmly welcomed and generously entertained. During our meeting with the President of Ghana at the time, John Kofi Agyekum Kufour, his commendation of Nigeria’s role and leadership in Africa was truly inspiring. He claimed that when Nigeria had a problem, the rest of West Africa was affected. Nigeria achieved its goals in the sub-region. It’s well known that Nigeria has engaged in numerous conflicts and invested substantial resources to assist and defend various African nations, as well as to maintain unity and cooperation across the continent. For many years, West Africa looked up to Nigeria for leadership to foster rapid development, eradicate remnants of colonialism, and bridge the political, social, and cultural gaps among nations. President Obasanjo aimed to introduce a global event to the four other leaders, which would engage the entire region and align with ECOWAS’s main objectives – 15 West African nations operating as a unified community with open borders, a shared currency, a joint airline, a common visa, coordinated security, a collective market, and a transportation network including a superhighway and railway stretching from Dakar in the West to Calabar in the East along the coastline. This ambitious initiative promised eight years of unparalleled collaboration, development, and an economic boom fueled by soft-power elements like sports, culture, and entertainment. The plan centered on West Africa co-hosting a global event to promote and expedite the realization of ECOWAS’s vision, which envisioned significant infrastructure, economic, social, and cultural growth in the region, predominantly led by Nigeria. It was a brilliant concept, but ultimately, it didn’t materialize because it seemed “too good to be true.” Numerous individuals in positions of power have underestimated (and continue to do so) the effectiveness of soft power instruments such as sports, music, and film in accomplishing goals that have proven elusive for many generations of West African political leaders. These leaders have had a limited understanding and use of soft-power diplomacy tools for decades. As a result, the aspiration for a functional and productive Economic Community of West African States has continued to progress at a sluggish pace. The history of the region is filled with ineffective leaders burdened by the remnants of colonialism, which stifles beneficial ideas for the populace, restricts governmental authority, and leaves people mired in poverty despite the abundance around them.
